Environment

News about the environment, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 28, 2015

Dr Jennifer L McDonald study published in journal Ecology and Evolution finds that British pet owners emphatically reject notion that cats have negative impact on wildlife, and most would not be willing to restrict their cat's access to the outdoors in effort to protect environment. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

Pope Francis addresses exploitation of Amazon rain forest during his visit to Ecuador, in implicit rebuke of economic and environmental policies of Pres Rafael Correa; statements were expected, following environmental encyclical released worldwide in June that discussed climate change as a social issue and linked environmental destruction to plight of poor. MORE

Jul. 6, 2015

Pope Francis arrives in Ecuador to begin tour of Latin America, returning to his native region to spread message of a church in transformation; visit to area, which contains several poor but environmentally rich countries, is especially significant in light of Francis's encyclical on the global environment. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Pope Francis sets off uproar over his document on environment and peril of climate change, with industrialists, politicians and critics once again saying he should stick with religion and not make fuss in areas where he lacks competence; Francis is following in footsteps of popes and bishops who have penned documents on social problems by applying religious teaching to current events. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

Leak of Pope Francis' message on environment creates tension in Vatican, among both staff members and reporters, who criticized others for breaking promise not to publish before release of final document. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Leaked draft of papal encyclical on environment has Pope Francis calling for swift action on climate change by people of all religions; includes references to scientific evidence and touches on familiar themes regarding inequality and anti-consumerism. MORE

Jun. 8, 2015

Editorial calls on Pres Obama to be willing and ready to use his veto power to block onslaught of legislation from Congressional Republicans intended to cripple critical environmental protections about to be promulgated by Obama administration; assails Congress for its lack of leadership, calling it transparent protection of big business and an appalling disregard for health of America's natural resources. MORE

May. 23, 2015

California State Assembly approves measure to ban use of microbeads, tiny plastic balls used in personal care products that manufacturers herald for their exfoliating power; environmental activists say particles flow through pipes and drains when washed off, winding up in nation's lakes and rivers, and eventually, the food chain. MORE

May. 21, 2015

House Republicans' attempt to block endangered species protections for the sage grouse and two other birds as part of $612 billion military bill sets off major congressional skirmish; push, part of a broader Republican attempt to roll back environmental regulations, has outraged environmentalists and Western state constituents. MORE

May. 3, 2015

Board of Swarthmore College announces it will not drop fossil fuel investments from its $1.9 billion endowment, despite demands of student protestors; school is considered to have sparked environmentally-focused divestment movement that has spread to other colleges. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Civic leaders and environmental experts welcome OneNYC, ambitious long-term environmental plan for New York City introduced by Mayor Bill de Blasio, but caution that it remains unclear how measures will be achieved; far-reaching goals include eliminating use of landfills by 2030 and lifting some 800,000 people from poverty. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio repurposes PlaNYC, environmental program set up by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, changing focus to fit with his own ambitious antipoverty agenda; changes name of program to One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City, or OneNYC; assures critics that concrete environmental and sustainability goals of plan's previous incarnation will remain intact. MORE

Apr. 15, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column examines new arguments from environmentalists against current strategies for sustainable growth in developing world; suggests nations must be allowed to develop economically before they can adopt regulations, and that demanding unreasonable concessions pushes them further into China's sphere of influence; examines counter-intuitive environmental benefits of 'development first' theory. MORE

Apr. 14, 2015

Idea of composting human dead is taking green burial movement step further and attracting interest from environmental advocates and scientists; environmental fellowship recipient Katrina Spade has begun Seattle-based Urban Death Project, initiative that seeks to create facility that combines environmentally conscious burial with ceremony and respect family members crave. MORE

Apr. 11, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Douglas M Thompson warns of adverse environmental effects of stocking American rivers with trout from hatcheries; points to overfishing of ocean fish species in order to create trout food, pollution created by trout hatcheries and low survival rates of hatchery-born fish; urges stricter protections of native fish in order to protect their numbers in wild. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Lawmakers and environmentalists are questioning why New Jersey's attorney general’s office settled for significantly less than the state had been seeking in lawsuit with Exxon Mobil Corp over environmental damage; records show that if deal is approved, New Jersey will probably receive $180 million or so--small fraction of $8.9 billion in damages it was seeking in court--and is likely to lose additional $45 million in legal fees. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Op-Ed article by attorney Bradley M Campbell decries decision by Gov Chris Christie to settle multibillion-dollar environmental lawsuit against Exxon Mobil for mere cents on the dollar; questions whether Christie was motivated in part by large sums Exxon contributed to Republican Governors Assn while he was group's chairman. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

New Jersey State lawmakers discover obscure provision in law that could allow Gov Chris Christie to use most if not all of proposed $250 million settlement against Exxon Mobil Corp, which was sued over its spilled pipelines and explosions that contaminated wetlands and waters, toward balancing state budget; lawmakers attempt to revise law so that money goes toward restoring environmental damage, but Christie vetoes effort. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Donovan Hohn First column describes how reversal of Chicago River, long considered triumph of engineering, is now known to be responsible for contaminating bodies of water to the south with invasive species; notes that it is one of many engineering projects, like dams and draining of wetlands, that country is now trying to reverse in order to improve environment. MORE

Jan. 20, 2015

Op-Ed article by Profs Don Melnick and Mary Pearl, along with policy expert James Warfield, proposes new method to save tropical forests from decimation; holds that forests' carbon reserves could be sold as offsets to greenhouse gas emitters, raising funds for their protection; observes that previous objections to method have been addressed. MORE

Jan. 9, 2015

Eric McDavid, serving 19-year prison term in California for environmental terrorism, gains early release after Federal District Court Judge Morrison C England Jr in Sacramento accepts settlement acknowledging authorities had withheld documents during his trial; McDavis was convicted in 2007 of conspiring to bomb targets near Sacramento as part of radical environmental campaign. MORE

Nov. 27, 2014

News analysis: Pres Obama may leave office with far-reaching environmental legacy without having passed single major environmental law; has issued series of landmark regulations based on broad powers of Clean Air Act, which was designed in 1970 to give Environmental Protection Agency great flexibility. MORE

Nov. 26, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column offers reading recommendations on variety of topics that readers may be interested in talking about over Thanksgiving dinner; highlights issues like importance of preservation of environment in Iran, the world's growing population, and growing anti-Arab racism in Israel. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column describes attending World Parks Congress in Sydney, held by International Union for Conservation of Nature every 10 years to draw attention to protected areas; contends protected land and parks are the most powerful tools for restraining environmental problems like global warming, deforestation, mass extinction and fresh water pollution. MORE

Nov. 7, 2014

Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist who spent at least $57 million of his own money to influence midterm elections, more than any other Democratic donor, appears to have largely wasted his time and money; most of his candidates lost; Steyer, however, says that his money was well-spent because it put climate change on the ballot across the nation and elevated the issue to keep it on the public radar. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

New chemicals are turning up everywhere in the environment, and the health risks are mostly unknown. MORE

Aug. 31, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Diane Ackerman reflects on how man-made landscapes often are confused with natural habitats, and how the distinction is easier to see from altitude of 3,000 feet; contends humans' built environment is just as much expression of nature as termite mounds, and can be more or less sustainable depending on choices humans make. MORE

Aug. 15, 2014

Researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina have been carrying out mulit-year study to measure firefly population and investigate whether environmentally destructive urbanization, especially in fast-growing South, threatens the insects. MORE

Jul. 27, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column describes visit to seriously threatened ecosystems in Madagascar, home of some the world's greatest biodiversity, which faces rapid deforestation; laments that unlike tragic events in Ukraine and the Middle East, environmental crises rarely make the news; draws connections between poverty, human strife, and ecological challenges. MORE

Jul. 22, 2014

Wildlife Conservation Society has begun using drones for conservation purposes, monitoring state of natural resources. MORE

Jul. 15, 2014

Op-Ed article by biologist Mark Winston examines global collapse of honeybee colonies; holds it was brought about in part by the complex interaction of man-made chemicals like pesticides in the environment; contends tumultuous demise of honeybees should alert human beings to their own vulnerability; calls on regulatory authorities to require studies on how exposure to low dosages of combined chemicals may affect human health before approving compounds. MORE

Jul. 13, 2014

Private equity company Ecosystem Investment Partners has raised $181 million for projects including the restoration of fragile marshlands in southern Louisiana; company plans to profit from effort by selling environmental restoration credits to private developers and government agencies; funding of restoration projects through such mitigation banks are allowed under Clean Water Act, but have never been used on such a large scale. MORE

Jun. 19, 2014

Kit Eaton App Smart column compares apps that help users adopt environmentally sensitive habits in daily life; notes that Pinterest app is now available on Windows Phone devices. MORE

Jun. 11, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column contends takeover of Mosul, Iraq, by Sunni extremists underscores clash of world views in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is also evident in Kurdistan; contends real war of ideas is between religious extremists and committed environmentalists, who are both trying to erase border of the Middle East for different reasons; holds region will only have a future if environmentalists prevail. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

Team of researchers is joining with local fishermen to track impact of human activity on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, large body of water that has yielded 300,000 tons of fish a year and sustained generations; lake's resources are begin stressed by population growth, hydroelectric dams and dry seasons that are expected to grow worse with climate change. MORE

Jun. 1, 2014

Nation's largest environmental groups are encouraging new activism to mount a revitalized climate-change campaign; they have strengthened their political operations and grass-roots networks and have raised and spent more money than ever before; most striking, perhaps is intention of groups to make global warming an issue in some of the hardest-fought political campaigns in upcoming midterm elections. MORE

May. 26, 2014

Editorial decries Gov Chris Christie's efforts to push through plan to run natural gas pipeline through southern New Jersey Pinelands by replacing members of state's Pinelands Commission with officials sympathetic to his ambitions; warns that in doing so, Christie may overturn rejection of pipeline issued in January; holds that pipeline is unnecessary and environmentally irresponsible. MORE

May. 20, 2014

Op-Ed article by Profs Benjamin van Rooij and Alex Wang warns that China's newly adopted sweeping changes to its Environmental Protection Law may end up doing little to end impunity that polluters in the country enjoy; contends only deep and fundamental changes in the organization of the party-state can bring down extreme levels of pollution in the country. MORE

May. 17, 2014

James B Stewart Common Sense column; student-led environmental movement aimed at separating college endowment funds from their connections to fossil fuel investments, particularly coal, may have started at Swarthmore College, but college's board members and administrators have firmly rebuffed proposals and have yet to sign on to cause. MORE

May. 8, 2014

Op-Ed article by environmentalist Yvon Chouinard calls for removal of thousands of crumbling dams throughout United States that are no longer useful and pose safety hazards; lists environmental drawbacks of such dams, noting many services they once provided can be met through other means. MORE

May. 3, 2014

Op-Ed article by physicist Alan Lightman observes mankind's conflicted relationship with nature, seeing it as alternately benevolent or malevolent, unified with people or alien; notes recent tornadoes and landslides have raised debate once again; holds interpretations are mistaken, and that nature is unconcerned with humans; asserts, in face of global warming, we should not be concerned with protecting our planet, but with protecting ourselves. MORE

Apr. 25, 2014

Chinese legislature revises country’s environmental protection law to allow for stricter punishments against companies or individuals caught polluting the environment. MORE

Apr. 20, 2014

Daniel Smith article on environmental activist Paul Kingsnorth's despair at the state of the planet and its inevitable collapse; describes how it led him to write book Uncivilization and found the Dark Mountain Project, loose network of ecologically minded artists and writers. MORE

Mar. 13, 2014

Farhad Manjoo State Of The Art column argues widespread habit of upgrading cellphones every two years, reinforced by carrier contracts, is exacting a hefty toll on wallets while creating an unsustainable environmental problem; recommends strategies for keeping cellphones longer. MORE

Mar. 8, 2014

Editorial criticizes New York Gov Andrew Cuomo's budget for limiting the Environmental Protection Fund to $157 million; holds amount is not enough for the basic environmental needs of the state; urges Cuomo to increase the fund to $200 million asked for by environmentalists. MORE

Feb. 27, 2014

Op-Ed article by Rep Raul M Grijalva urges Pres Obama not to approve Keystone XL pipeline; holds arguments for pipeline are based on lobbying interests and bad science, and that approval will undo much of Obama's good environmental policy; says Keystone decision will establish whether country has moved on from disastrous Bush-Cheney environmental policy. MORE

Feb. 7, 2014

Environmental groups have denounced arrests of two ecologists in Sochi, Russia, on charges of violating public order; arrests raise alarms from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which criticize the stringent controls that Russian authorities have placed on public shows of dissent in vicinity of Olympic sites; arrest of Yevgeny Vitishko disrupts his plans to publish report on environmental damage caused by Olympic construction. MORE

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